The choice that lingers on
by bibi 13ca
Summary: DE two-shot story based on promos for the last episodes and my own twist as well as a version of season four.
1. Chapter 1

**N: I know I haven't updated my stories lately, but the last weeks of school are full of exams and assignments, so…no time. I wrote this between classes. It's not my best work – actually it is pretty bad – but it wouldn't leave me alone.**

**It is a Delena story, so don't worry about the end. This is the first part, I have one more chapter, but I only wrote the first three sentences if it. It will probably take me a week for the other part.**

**I hope this makes at least a bit of sense and you'll like it. Reviews are more than welcome as well.**

**Sorry for the mistakes, didn't want to bother my beta with this.**

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**The choice that lingers on**

Elena was lying in bed. She was taking deep breaths, trying to get her mind off things, just for a little while. Everything was overwhelming and she thought her head might explode soon if she won't take a little brake. Her trip with Damon left her even more confused than before. Maybe Damon had been right, maybe that's what she's been waiting for; for him to screw up. That was always one of the things that made her keep her distance when it came to Damon. His complicated and impulsive nature that got people hurt most of the time, had helped her repress her feelings for him.

She almost missed the soft nock on her door. Fortunately, Caroline wasn't about to give up after one shy knock and soon, Elena heard the noise again.

"Come in!" she yelled. Caroline got in, leaving the door slightly ajar. She smiled at Elena and made her way towards the bed, taking a seat on the edge.

"Hi," she murmured.

"Everything ok? How's Tyler?"

"Fine…he's mad at me. How was your trip with Damon?" Caroline asked and Elena let out a deep sigh. She truly had no idea. Instead of putting things in perspective, the trip made it more complicated. That kiss…it brought her to life. It was like all this time, all her life, she'd been asleep and that kiss woke her up. She was almost sure that if Jeremy wouldn't have shown up, she would've let Damon have her right there, against the dirty wall of a cheap hotel. The urges she felt hadn't been human. Something animalistic had awoken inside her, something she didn't know she was capable of until now.

"Honestly, I don't know," Elena said and Caroline gave her a pity look. "There are definitely feelings," she continued and Caroline just nodded.

"What about Stefan? I watch 'the bachelor', it's his turn now."

Elena shrugged, "I guess."

"Look…I know Damon's saved my life and he's pretty much saved everyone's life at some point. I'm not saying he is a bad guy, but…" Caroline stopped and Elena looked away, preparing herself to hear her best friend disapprove. "Stefan is my friend. I get this thing between you and Damon, I understand, but I can't support it. I'm sorry, I just can't."

"It's ok Care, I get it –" she stopped all of a sudden and her eyes flew to the door that was just pushed open by Jeremy.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," she started. "The door was open and I – "

"It's ok, I was just leaving," Caroline said getting up and making her way towards the door.

"You don't have to," Elena called after her.

"I promised Bonnie I'll go help her pick a dress. She's thinking about inviting Jaime to go with her," Caroline explained.

"Oh, that's good. Tell her I said hi," Caroline nodded and in a blink of an eye she was gone. "Is there something wrong?" she asked looking at her brother.

Jeremy picked up a chair from the left side of the room and placed it beside the bed. He turned it around and took a seat.

"Elena, I know I'm not the most objective person when it comes to Damon, but if you love him and want to be with him, I think you should," Elena's eyes opened wide at her bother. Why was everyone trying to give her advice? Oh, yes, because she was asking for it.

"Weren't you against Damon and me just a day ago?" she asked surprised.

"Well…look, I'm not on team Damon or team Stefan; I'm on team 'Elena's happiness' I just want you to be happy. Whoever makes you happy, I'm cool with it."

"Yeah well, that's what I'm trying to figure out."

"You're doing it the wrong way. If you're looking for people's approval, you'll probably not going to get it. I mean, it's Damon we're talking about. I just don't think you should listen to anyone but your own heart. This should be your decision and not anyone else's. And for once in your life, be selfish! Think about what you want, because if you make a decision in fear you'll regret it for the rest of your life. No matter what you do and what your choice's going to be, someone will get hurt; make sure it will be worth it."

"He killed you, Jer. I didn't expect you to be ok with it," Elena said.

"It's not that. I got over it. I guess most of all I was just taken by surprise. It's Damon…I mean, he's just not, uh, your type."

"I know."

"But maybe that's the point. You clearly feel something for him. I know you, Elena. You don't go around kissing guys you have no feelings for…not like that," he said and Elena blushed, avoiding his baby brother's gaze.

"I just miss the old times. When mom and dad were here; when all I had to worry about was school and my relationship with Matt. It used to be much easier."

"I know. I miss that too. But let's face it, you are not that person anymore."

"I guess not…"

"You'll do the right thing," Jeremy said with confidence.

"Hey, since when did you get so wise and understanding?" Elena asked and Jeremy let out a giggle.

"Someone has to," he mocked.

"Hey!" Elena protested. "Jer, what did Rose tell you back at the hotel?" she asked on a more serious tone.

"She said," he took a breath in, "she said she's rooting for you and Damon. That's how I knew something's going on. I mean, there was always something between the two of you, but it was different this time. She also said something else," he continued and Elena raised an eyebrow at him. "She said that Stefan's good for you and will always be good for you, but Damon can be better. That Damon helps you grow, that he challenges you and pushes you, making you question your believes. She made a lot of sense actually."

Elena didn't say anything right away. She took the time to repeat what Jeremy just said in her mind a few times and thought about it. Rose what certainly right about one thing, Damon was always pushing her and challenging her making her question, not only her believes but everything. Damon made her strong.

"I guess…"

"Don't forget that you're a fighter, Elena. Don't take the easy way out. Be sure that when you make a decision is what you really want."

After Jeremy got out of the room, closing the door behind him, Elena reached for a pillow and placed it on her head. Hiding under the pillow was all she wanted to do for the time being.

***2***

"Damon," Elena gasped as she caught Damon's reflection in the mirror. "You scared me."

"You look beautiful," he said and Elena smiled, their eyes still locked in the full-size mirror. Elena felt like a traitor. Knowing she was about to go to the dance with Stefan made her feel guilty; and going to the dance with Stefan after what happened between her and Damon, made her feel even worse.

"Damon, I – "

"You don't have to explain," he shot her off.

"I just have to say this. To answer your question, if I have feelings for you," she took in a deep breath and Damon's eyes opened wider. "I do," she said simply. "I don't know what I feel for you exactly, but I know it's something. Are you ok with that for now?" she asked and he nodded.

He took a few steps forward and stopped right behind her. His hands found their way round her waist and Elena let her head drop on his shoulder. That's how Stefan found them a few minutes later.

"Are you ready?" he asked from the door-way and Elena turned around just as Damon was stepping away.

"Yes," she answered. She took her tiny purse from the table and made her way towards the door. She stopped just a before reaching it and turned around. Her eyes found Damon's and the emotions in his eyes made her breath stop for a moment. "Be careful," she said and Damon whispers a soft 'I will'.

***3***

"Every jazz song tells a story," Stefan said grabbing Elena's hand. He pulled her closer and she curled her arms around his neck with a smile.

"This one seems to tell a sad story."

"Yeah, it does."

**Irving Berlin - The Song Is Ended (but the Melody Lingers On)**

My thoughts go back to a heavenly dance

A moment of bliss we spent

Our hearts were filled with a song of romance

As into the night we went

And sang to our hearts' content

The song is ended

But the melody lingers on

You and the song are gone

But the melody lingers on

The night was splendid

And the melody seemed to say

"Summer will pass away

Take your happiness while you may"

There 'neath the light of the moon

We sang a love song that ended too soon

The moon descended

And I found with the break of dawn

You and the song had gone

But the melody lingers on

Elena was afraid that the lyrics to the song were actually telling their story, but she didn't say anything. After all, what could she say? A big part of her still hoped they could patch things up. When she was with Stefan, she felt like her old self again – just a bit, but enough to make her nostalgic. Maybe she didn't want to grow up yet.

Stefan spun her around and leaned her body forward following her with his own. Elena smiled happily. His hand cupped her felt cheek as he pulled her back up. The next thing she knew, his lips were just inches away from hers. He was about to kiss her and she was about to let her.

"We have a problem."

At the sound of his voice Elena jumped backwards. Only after making sure she put enough distance between her and Stefan, she turned around. Damon and Jeremy were standing a few feet away.

"What?" Stefan asked, but Damon ignored the question. His eyes were glued on Elena, but she didn't dare look into his eyes. She told Stefan she will go find Caroline and disappeared as soon as possible.

"I'll make a long story short. Kol's dead, we're descended from Rebekah's bloodline. Esther wants to kill all vampires and possessed Rebekah until she realized that Rebekah's vampire body's not allowing her to use magic the way she's supposed to, so she took over Bonnie's body. She's trying to perform the bounding spell again. Oh and, Alaric's on her side."

"I guess we're on the same team," Rebekah said from behind them.

They all decided to go talk Klaus into helping them, but something had stepped them, Elena was the only one who passed through.

"You don't think I though this through?" they heard Alaric ask. He had a malicious grin on his face and Elena was sure that 'this' particular Alaric was not their friend.

"I'll talk to him," Elena said and both Damon and Stefan tried to get out of the circle to stop them, but with no result. "You can't stop me," she said. If the situation wouldn't have been so messed up, Elena would be laughing. They always tried to protect her, but now, they literally couldn't.

When Elena returned about an hour later, her bottom lip was torn apart, her left eye was bruised and she was more like crawling than walking.

"Damon," she whispered, practically falling into his arms.

"Jesus, Elena, what happened? You're hurt."

"I'll be ok. You're still here…"

"Where else I would be? It's not like I can go anywhere," he said and she smiled. Her smile vanished as soon as she started coughing and drops of blood started pouring on her white dress.

"Ah, I ruined the dress," she mumbled.

"You're bleeding internally. You either let Matt take you to the hospital or…" Damon couldn't bring himself to say the words. He knew damn well the danger they were in and how inappropriate would be to feed her blood. Of course, if he would not feed her blood, she would die in minutes.

"What if I die?" she asked.

"I'll call, Matt," Damon announced. "Damn," he shouted. "Klaus has my phone. Elena, listen to me, if I don't give you blood now, you will die. You don't want to leave Jeremy alone, do you?" he knew the move was cheap, but he just couldn't afford to lose her. "It doesn't have to be mine."

"I want it to be yours," she whispered.

***4***

With Katherine's help – and her new best friend-witch – they managed to break the bloodline bond between them and Rebekah. They made a deal with the original that they won't try to kill her and they would protect her if it would ever come down to it. Bonnie also found a way to keep Tyler alive while they kill Klaus with the only remaining stake. Klaus skipped town. Now Elena was in her room, thinking about the decision she still had to make. All her moments with Stefan started playing in her mind, then her moments with Damon and she smiled weakly.

All of a sudden everything started to make sense. She ran towards her bed, picked up her phone and set a message. She smiled at the screen before calling Stefan.

"Could you come over to my house, please? It's important."

After Stefan assured her that he will be there in twenty minutes. Elena decided to take a short shower. She put on her pajamas and once she lay in bed, she noticed that she had a new message. She took in a deep breath before finally looking at the phone and all of a sudden, her heart stopped, all color left her cheeks and the phone fell from her had onto the floor. She was in the same position five minutes later when Stefan came through the window.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Oh…you're here," Elena whispered. Stefan made his way towards the bed and took a seat beside her. He took her hands into his and started talking in a calm voice: "Elena, there's something I have to tell you," he said and Elena's eyes found his. "Damon left. He left town and I'm pretty sure even the country by now."

"How do you know?"

"He sent me a message about fifteen minutes ago."

"Just like that? No 'good bye' no 'take care' nothing? He just left?" There was so much pain in Elena's voice that Stefan's heart was hurting. In that moment, he hated his brother for causing her so much pain.

"He said he needs time and not to look for him. I'm pretty sure that even if we do look for him, we won't find him if he doesn't want to be found."

"Hm," was all Elena could mumble.

"It was him, wasn't it? you picked him," Stefan asked and Elena started to shake her head.

"No. It was you…it was always you," she said softly.

After a short, soft kiss, Stefan wrapped his arms around Elena's body and she returned the hug. She looked over his shoulder, taking a peak at herself in the mirror and squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears. She buried her face in the crook of Stefan's neck and let out a sigh.

"I'm so tired…"

"I'll go check on Bonnie and let you sleep. I'm sure she's fine though. Jaime is with her. I'll see you in the morning, ok?"

Elena nodded and after placing a kiss on her forehead, he vanished through the window. She picked up her phone and read the message she received just a few minutes ago a few more times before pressing 'delete'. After that, she placed the phone on her nightstand, turned off the lamp and pulled the covers over her shivering body. She curled against the pillow, wrapping her arms around it and cried herself to sleep.

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**N: Here you go, you got to the end. That's good. So, you want the next part or you'd wish I would just go hit my head against a wall until reality kicks back?**


	2. Chapter 2

**N: I am sorry for the HUGE wait, I really hope you would read this still and enjoy. Instead of two parts, this would have three and I don't know how long it will take for the 3th part, but not as long as it took for this.**

**If you do read it, please leave a review and tell me what you think of it.**

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"You're avoiding me," Stefan said in a soft voice. Elena turned around, but didn't say a word, she just watched Stefan who was standing in the kitchen doorway, looking at her. He was leaning against the door frame and Elena couldn't help but think he looked kind of tired. She turned back towards the stove and watched the boiling pot and only when she looked back at Stefan the second time she noticed that her cellphone was in his hand. Her heart started beating faster and faster until she remembered that she had deleted the message. That message was still keeping Elena awake in the middle of the night. She remembered every single detail about it, every word and every comma. It was real, but for some reason Elena could not let go.

"I just didn't hear the phone; sorry, I left it in…on –"she couldn't remember where she had left her phone to save her life. Actually, she couldn't remember the last time she used her phone, or the last person she used it to contact. This episodes of black out started to piss her off. At first, she blamed it on stress, but it was becoming ridiculous. Forgetting what she did yesterday was not something happening just because of the stress. Nothing seemed to stick in her mind. Not since Klaus left; not since _he_ left. She acted and felt like a walking shadow.

Stefan's eyes opened wide, like he was about to call her bluff. "It was on your nightstand, where you put it every night before bed. Every missed call from yesterday and this morning is there. You haven't checked your phone in two days."

"Is that a crime? I've been busy," Elena protested. "I have to cook. Jeremy and I still have to eat you know."

"Elena that's all you've been doing for two weeks. Cook, cook and cook some more. You'd be able to feed all Mystic Falls by now."

Instead of answering him, Elena turned around, buried her face in her palms and sneezed. "Bless you," she heard Stefan say.

"I think I'm catching something. I'll go lay down." Without waiting for Stefan to reply, she made her way upstairs.

***2***

Elena opened her eyes and blinked a few times to make the fog go away. Her eyelids seemed heavier than usual. It was like she was waking up after a week of heavy partying. Her head was pounding and there was a noise in the back of her mind, like a background sound that was irritating her ears. When she turned her head aside, her breath got caught up in her throat and her heart skipped a beat.

"Damon," she whispered softly. She couldn't believe that after all this time he was there, in her room, in her bed. The proximity was making her body radiate with heat. Like always, her body was loyal to him, responding to his presence.

"Hey," he murmured back, just as soft, like he was afraid not to disturb her. He seemed sad, tired and Elena could also spot some sort of disappointment in his eyes that confused her for a few seconds. All she wanted to do was to console him and make him smile. She wanted to see him happy, really happy. He looked vulnerable and lost and that was breaking her heart.

"Are you real?" she asked carefully.

"No. You're dreaming love," he said with a sad smile. The words hurt Elena more than she would've ever imagined. He looked real. He _felt_ real. "The thing about dreams," he continued as Elena stretched her hand, slowly moving it towards him. "They seem so vivid," Elena's hand finally made contact with his and she gasped. "So real," Damon went on and squeezed her hand gently. "Even though they are not real. But dreams should not be taken for granted. They always mean something."

"Always?" Elena asked in a weak voice.

"Always." Damon answered.

"I miss you so much," she murmured. She was afraid that if she talked louder she would start crying and never stop. The void in her heart seemed to grow bigger and more painful with every passing day instead of healing.

Damon's eyes lit up at her words. "I miss you to," he replied.

"Then come home," Elena pleaded. "Please, come home to me. I need you."

"Elena, look at me," he ordered and Elena did as told. "I need you to remember something and I need you to concentrate and pay attention. Really pay attention so you won't miss it."

"Miss what?" she asked but the answer didn't come. What was she supposed to remember? She had no idea what he was talking about. She didn't understand. Before she got the chance to ask more questions and actually get some answers, Damon's body started evaporating right before her eyes. "Damon…Damon!" she yelled, she screamed, she tried to get a hold of him, but it didn't work and soon he was gone and Stefan was the one standing before her when she opened her eyes. "Stefan?" she asked softly.

"Are you ok? Bad dream?"

"Uh…yes," she lied. She didn't know exactly why she didn't tell Stefan about the dream, it was the tenth time she had the exact same dream. Elena started to feel like it might be more than a dream. Damon clearly wanted her to remember something, but she had no idea what. Maybe if he would give her a clue. But every time she had the dream, things were happening in the exact same way, like she was stuck in some sort of loop. She suspected Stefan knew about the dreams, after all, he was there almost every time she had it. It was like they had this mutual understanding: she wouldn't talk about it and he wouldn't ask.

The next time she woke up from the exact same dream Caroline was the one ogling at her.

"Are you ok, you seem a little…shaken?" Caroline asked and Elena nodded. "Nightmare?" she went on and Elena nodded again. She grabbed the covers and pulled them all the way to her neck. Suddenly, she had this desire to cover herself. She felt unprotected from Caroline's green gaze.

"Dreaming about Damon again, uh?" Caroline asked and Elena's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Damon's name. "I heard you scream his name again. Just like last night and the night before and last week. What's going on?"

"I wish I knew. I keep having the same dream over and over again. Every time I fall asleep, I dream about him. We're in the same place, having the same conversation. It's crazy," Elena explained. Caroline let out a long sigh and took a seat by the edge of the bed.

"What happens exactly? Just start from the beginning to the end," Caroline said and Elena just shrugged.

"Ok. Well, it starts with me waking up. I mean, in the dream I wake up. I'm in my bed, no matter where I fall asleep, in my dream I wake up in my bed. At first it's foggy and my head hurts, like I'm having the world's worst hangover, but when I turn to my left, Damon's there, beside me and the image becomes clear in a matter of seconds."

"Is he naked?" Caroline asked and Elena's eyes opened wide.

"Caroline!"

"What, if Damon's involved, this is a very legitimate question," the blonde defended herself.

"No, he is not naked. It's not like that. I ask him if he is real and he says that he is not and that I'm dreaming. Then he goes on about dreams being vivid and looking real and that they should not be taking for granted because they always mean something-"

"They do! I mean, if he tells you that, it must mean something, right?"

"Well, yeah, that's what I'm thinking, but I cannot figure out what."

"What happens next?" Caroline asked.

"Next, he tells me to remember something for him and to pay attention. He says it's important for me to pay attention, but I don't know what I'm looking for. I feel like I'm disappointing him."

"Don't worry we're going to figure this out. So that's it?"

"Yeah. I start asking what am I supposed to remember, but he's body's evaporating and it's like he cannot hear me anymore. Soon he's gone and I wake up."

"You sure you didn't leave anything out?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know…you can't leave stuff out. It might be important."

"It's not. Just small talk."

"So you admit you left out some parts of your dream? Are they naughty?"

"Caroline, I told you nothing like that happens in the dream. I just…I tell him I miss him-"

"You do, don't you?" Caroline asked in a whisper.

"More than-" Elena stopped and took a deep breath. "Sometimes I can't breathe. I wake up in the middle of the night, I open the windows and I just stay there looking outside. I feel like a part of me is still waiting for him to come back. And the worst part…that part of me will always wait for him to come back."

"Did you tell Stefan?"

"About the dream?"

"No, about the fact that you actually picked Damon."

A morbid silence took over the room. Elena was afraid of answering Caroline's question. A part of her brain actually refused to acknowledge that.

"I love Stefan," Elena mumbled.

"I know you do."

"That night, after everything went down with Alaric and Bonnie I came back home to check on Jeremy. When I realized that Klaus skipped town and left me behind I felt free. For the first time in a long time, I felt free. Everyone I cared about was alright and I took the time to think about it. When I came to a conclusion I immediately send Damon a message and told him I pick him and I called Stefan to tell him in person what my decision was. By the time Stefan got here, I received a message from Damon telling me it was too late and that he needed time and space. He said I belong with Stefan and that he'll leave us alone. I lost Damon…I didn't have the strength to let Stefan go too, so I told him he was my choice all along."

"Elena…"

"I know, by the time I realized my mistake it was too late."

"You have to tell Stefan. He deserves to know the truth."

"Yes, he does and I will. I just don't know how."

"Don't text him for starters," Caroline said and Elena smiled. She realized long ago that through text messages is not the way you communicate something important to someone.

***3***

Damon let out a moan as his eyes fluttered open. Whatever happened didn't go smoothly if the way he felt was any indication of it. His head was hurting in a million different places and even though he was healing, he could still feel the pain of his wounds. The last thing he remembered was following Klaus. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the dark, he realized he was in some kind of cave. He slowly advanced in the direction he thought would take him out of that dark, humid place, but he soon noticed the thick bars.

"Finally, you're awake."

"Klaus?" Damon asked. So, he did find Klaus. Or more like, Klaus found him. But why was he locked in a cave and not dead?

"You've been unconscious for hours. You have a message." At his words, Damon noticed that his phone was still in Klaus's hand. "It's from Elena. Do you want to know what it says?" Damon didn't bother answering. He didn't have to anyway, because Klaus immediately went on, reading the message. "I made my choice and it's you. I'm calling Stefan now to let him know." Klaus rolled his eyes, but Damon didn't notice the dramatic gesture, he was too preoccupied repeating the words that were supposedly in the message Elena had send him. She picked him. No, it must've been the original playing with his mind, Elena loved Stefan, and it will always be Stefan. "Well, what do you know, you finally get the girl for once and you're not there to enjoy it," Klaus went on.

Damon could not remember ever feeling more overwhelmed or more useless in his entire life. He hadn't been expected for Elena to pick him and the fact that he couldn't anything about it was too much for him to handle at the moment. He decided that Elena can wait for the time being and he should concentrate his energy on realizing what Klaus's plan was and how to escape.

"What do you want Klaus? Your little plan failed and you decided to pick a souvenir from Mystic Falls and run? I must say, I am flattered, but weren't you supposed to have a thing for Blondie?"

"It's not time for you to know why you're here. You will soon, don't worry. But until then, I have to tell her something," Klaus said staring at Damon's phone. "How about 'I'm sorry my love, but I'm done waiting for you so I decided to go see the world some more'? What do you think? Sounds good to me."

"She would realize it wasn't me writing the message."

"You're right. I need to find a more pathetic we to answer." Klaus started texting and Damon was doing everything he could to try and understand at least a part of what he was writing. "Don't worry, I will read it to you when I'm done."

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**N: Thank you for reading, please review!**


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